


Excuses

by hell_fire



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, One sided reveal, eventual identity reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-28 08:54:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6323029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hell_fire/pseuds/hell_fire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which marinette finds out adrien is chat noir and probes him for excuses as to why he's late/absent for school</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

The heroine would sigh as familiar shades of pink engulfed her form, leaving her pale skin behind, and her kwami. Tikki sends her a small smile, before burying herself into the purse at Marinette’s side, leaving the girl to pinch it closed. She peeks out from the alleyway she landed into, hands gripping unfamiliar bricks illustrated by the moonlight. She takes a small step forward, turning innocently at a green flash of light from behind her.

Adrien. He cups his hands, staring at something she couldn’t make out, before it clicks. 

Marinette, shocked, throws herself out of the dark alleyway in a hurry, jogging off towards her home, stumbling in the dark. 

Adrien was Chat Noir.

Marinette slumps against her home, hands pressed against concrete, one raising to lift her dark bangs from her forehead, she’s appalled, honestly. She stares up into the illuminated night sky, stars glittering against its blackness, homes and street lamps sticking out from the dark. How? Quiet, thoughtful, reserved Adrien. It didn’t click, but god did it, disappearing whenever she did, always tired after a long night of patrol. 

It’s deathly quiet, save for the sound of rolling cars, and creatures crawling in the dark of the night. A muffled noise sounds from her purse, Marinette glances down on cue, and peels the bag open.

“What are you doing?” The red kwami questions, head tilting slightly. Marinette cups her hands for the fairy to rest in. 

“I saw Chat detransform.” She whispers, slightly horrified by it all. Was it bad? She didn’t mean it, of course, but it’s not like she could wander up to him and tell him that she knew he had an alter ego. She’d be a hypocrite! Maybe Chat Noir was past revealing identities, maybe he’d decided he wanted it to be a secret too. Would he be mad? She whines, and slumps a little further down against the wall of the bakery. 

Tikki stares at her for a while, a look of sympathy. “Oh, Marinette,” she murmurs, flying forward to touch her cheek. 

Marinette leans slightly towards the kwami’s touch, sighing. 

\-----

Marinette creeps towards her desk, Alya watching her, an amused smile across her features. The heroine slumps into her seat with relief, reaching into her bag, flinching when her teacher’s voice suddenly raises. She peeks up from her spot with fear, only to find Adrien sneaking into the classroom as well, only--caught. Marinette knows the reason, the duo had been late patrolling that night, later than usual, that is. The girl releases a giggle into her palm, watching the boy huff with annoyance at being caught. 

“Adrien.” The teacher’s voice cuts through the silence, and he waves at her, finding his seat. “I’d prefer you to come to class when it starts, as in, half an hour ago.” It was true, Marinette finds, glancing at the clock hanging over the door, almost fifteen minutes left for the period. 

Adrien nods, digging through his bag in search of his tablet. 

Marinette’s palm digs into her cheek, one single minute left till’ lunch, the teacher’s voice drones on. She huffs, eyes moving down towards her tablet. She lurches from her seat at the sound of the awaited bell. The girl shoves her tablet into her bag, and tosses it over her shoulder, glancing up at Ayla. 

“You seem ready,” Alya remarks, one eyebrow raised. 

The smaller girl simply laughs, feet making their way to the door. “Even half a period of her talking wears me out.” The two friends find their way out of the room, Ayla waving at Nino, who, upon seeing the wave would walk towards them, Adrien just behind the boy. Marinette panics, shoulders raising slightly. Adrien, Adrien, great. It’s not like she was normally unable to speak like a human around him or anything, save for the idea that he’s her partner--Chat Noir. 

“Marinette, I forgot to mention, we’re eating with Nino and Adrien today. Thought it was a good idea.” Ayla smiles at her, innocently.

“Oh, yep!” Absolutely, great, amazing. Marinette sharply inhales through her nose, straightening her posture. Chat noir was nothing but a flirt, a trustworthy partner, a reserved, extraordinary boy in her class. This wasn’t going to work. She slumps again, numbly following Alya to a lunch table along with the other two. 

Her friends are conversing quietly, more of Nino and Alya to be exact, before she’s questioned. By Adrien. Marinette sits up immediately, her fork dropping into her food. Marinette panics, she didn't actually hear what he said. “Late,” is the only thing she manages to stutter out, earning a tilt of the head from the boy. God that was cute. Chat was cute. Wait.

“..Late?” He questions, voice raising an octave higher, and she clears her throat in a fit of nervousness. 

“You were, um. Late! This morning.” She laughs, rubbing her arms, sending a glance down at her food. “Its like you were out doing superhero stuff or something.” She smirks this time. Was she teasing him? Great. 

He flusters, raising a hand to his chest. “Me? A superhero? Hah, that’d be uh, weird.” He chimes, adding a small cough at the end. 

Marinette purses her lips in a futile attempt to keep herself from laughing, because it was oh so ironic. “Oh yeah, definitely. I don’t think you would make a good Chat Noir.” He looks offended, to say the least.

Alya digs an elbow into her side, eyebrow raised at her. “Marinette, correct me if i’m wrong, but weren’t you late this morning? Just a moment before Adrien walked in, too, I should add.”

A familiar burst of heat covers her cheeks, and she turns to glare at her friend. “Well, I have an excuse, I was up late doing designs.” She crosses her arms, and sends a questioning glance at Adrien. “What’s yours?” Cat boy. She wished she could add without being suspicious.

He stutters, eyebrows furrowing, was that blush? She made Adrien Agreste blush. She grins, pleased with herself. “Photoshoot. Had a photoshoot, if you must know.” 

Marinette could get used to this.


	2. 2

The heroine lands curtly, one leg out, the other tucked into herself, gloved hand in the middle, flat to the concrete. Her transformation crawls up from her feet, a glittery pink light surrounding its disappearance. Tikki forms from it, Marinette flashing her a smile. 

The fairy follows Marinette as she makes her way into the school, glancing around the building, it being empty, quiet, save for the sound of Marinette’s footsteps against the gym floor. The girl pauses once she’s at her locker, twisting the lock in several ways, followed by the top piece disconnecting from the core, and she pulls the locker open. 

Marinette reaches up in her locker, ready to grab her school bag, faltering at the sound of footsteps. She turns her head, without words Tikki zips into her locker.

Adrien. 

“Marinette!” He exclaims a bit too loud upon her looking at him, following it up with a nervous cough and a glance at his own locker.

“..Hi, Adrien.” She replies, pulling her school bag from the hook in her locker, raising the strap onto her shoulder. She looks back over to Tikki in her locker.

“Late again?” She questions, pulling her purse from her side and pushing it in her locker, Tikki dives into it, and the teenager clicks the thing shut.

He bites his lip--that was adorable, she thinks--and pulls his own locker open after fumbling with the lock. “Looks like it.”

Marinette carefully places her purse back at her side, her hand gripping the door of her steel locker. “What’d you do?” She questions, one eyebrow raised towards the clearly flustered male. It had seemed that things had turned between them, Marinette was able to talk to him like a human being upon the thought of them fighting alongside each other nearly every other day of the week.

He tenses, she notices, before looking back over to her. “I,” he pauses, and furrows his eyebrows. “What did you do?”

So he was gonna play that game. A smirk plays on her lips, she draws the hand from her locker to her hip. “Don’t seem so suspicious, Adrien,” a moment passes, he digs through his locker. “Or should I call you Paris’ super hero?” 

Adrien knocks his head on the side of his locker, Marinette registers the action, raising a hand to her lips, laughter bubbling from her throat. 

He joins in too, hand raising to scratch at the distressed area on his head. “So you don’t really think that, right?”

 

Marinette coughs a laugh out, and turns back towards her locker to prevent herself from laughing. “Oh no, definitely not. Chat Noir is more of a flirt than you.” Ironic.

Out of the corner of her eye, Adrien is relieved, but squints at her, hand pushing his locker shut. “You think so?”

 

Marinette glances over again, closing her locker in sync with the other, wrapping the lock back in place. “Oh yeah, definitely.” A click rings from the lock, and she takes a satisfied step towards the exit. 

Adrien walks with her, their arms brushing, her heart pounds. It’s just Chat. She relaxes. They walk in silence out of the locker room, all the way to the steps.

Adrien spares a look at the other. “If anything, I think his flirting is charming.”

Marinette nearly chokes. “Seriously?”

Adrien takes a step onto the stairs, completely serious. “Why not? His puns are well measured, I A-paw-roove.” 

Marinette raises a hand to her forehead, dragging it down, sighing into her palm. Another step onto the stairs. “Don’t even start with the puns, Agreste.”

Adrien laughs, skipping up the final steps, in front of her. He turns the hand to the classroom door, peeling the door open for her. On top of this, he bows, free arm curved under his torso. “After you.”

If she didn’t know he was Chat Noir, she would know at this exact moment. Marinette snorts, and proceeds into the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i came up with that pun love me


	3. 3

Ladybug leaps towards the next rooftop, the wind whips across her ears, an orange glow spills upon the rooftops of Paris as evening reaches. “Chat,” she begins, he’s just behind her, baton extended beneath himself. 

“Yes?”

She halts their travel for a moment to recollect her breath. Or maybe it was her thoughts, a sort of nervousness churning within her stomach. “What would you do if someone were to.. know your identity?” 

He lands just next to her, his baton collects itself back into his palm. He ponders the question a moment, sparing her a worried glance. 

After an eternity it feels, he questions back. “Why do you ask?” 

“No reason.” It’s short, sweet, fearful. 

“I’d hope they’re trustworthy, I guess.” He mumbles, playing the question over in his mind.

The cars rumble just below their feet, city lights flicking on amongst the deep shades of red that coated Paris now. Her partner releases an awkward cough from beside her. 

On cue, his ring emits a small beep, they both glance at it. 

“I’ll be off, M’lady.” He gives her a faint smile, before vaulting over into an alley. 

Adrien. 

Risking his life daily, besides her, Marinette. Chat noir, a quiet, smart boy that sat just below her five days of the week. 

A short beep is enough to throw her thoughts away. She slips away from the bustling city, and back towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

\--

It’s a quiet morning so far, which Marinette is thankful for as she slips into the school locker room. She unfastens the lock hanging from her locker. It’s empty. She reaches for her phone--Adrien. 

“Nette.” 

She yelps at her own name, slamming her hand against her lips to muffle the noise of surprise. 

“Okay wow, I’m so sorry,” he starts, laughing just a bit and he puts his hand on her shoulder, her shoulder, wait. 

She stares at his hand, the silver ring, suddenly back to reality. Chat Noir. “Yes?” she says, crossing her arms and sending him a smug look. 

He moves his hand away. He’s thinking real hard about something, has he figured it out? Her identity, maybe the obvious fact that she knows his identity? 

Marinette clears her throat.

“Good morning.” He says after a while. Well that’s for sure not what she expected.

“..Good.. morning.” She replies, confused. He sits there for a second, an eternity, staring at her eyes and wow his eyes just get greener each time she looks at them, he walks backwards towards his locker now. It’s an awkward morning to say the least. 

\--

At lunch he stares some more. It’s getting annoying.

Alya chimes in this time, “Adrien, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you stare at Marinette more in the entire span of time I’ve known you. It’s like you’re secretly in love or something.”

With Ladybug. Marinette. Not really Marinette. Not the same.

Marinette decides to ride of off Alya’s comment, her lips sporting a small smile. “Nah, Alya, if he had a secret it’d be like, being a superhero or something. Right Adrien?” She doesn’t even know why, but she keeps pushing him about the Chat Noir thing, and it's probably getting obvious, she doesn’t even know why she has to keep teasing him because she knows the answer already, she wishes she could just tell him.

He looks towards his lunch. “Yeah, right.” He then coughs after his statement, looking right at Marinette. “Wait, what’d you say?” 

Dumb cat.


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette was really late this time, she notes, looking directly at her phone as she slides into the school’s entrance, 2 hours late for class. Oh boy. She could just wait it out till next period? 

She halts her progress to the room when she’s staring directly at Adrien, she’s been seeing him a lot lately, well, maybe she always had. 

He’s in the process of unbuttoning his coat, and he raises an eyebrow at a heaving Marinette. “Late, are we?” 

She rolls her eyes. “Just a little. I wouldn’t hesitate to say the same for you either, super-hero.” 

He laughs, she’s making her way to her locker. “Hey, Chat Noir is cool, I swear.” He’s walking up next to her now, leaning against the wall closest to her locker.

Marinette huffs. “He’s a flirt, I tell you. He’s always looking for a kiss, or something, from Ladybug.”

He’s looking right at the back of her head. “I couldn’t blame him.” She stuffs her coat in her locker.

“Ladybug,” She continues gathering her supplies, her hands are slightly shaking--why are they shaking--her bag strap is wrapped around her shoulder now and Adrien is so close. She closes the locker, turns to meet his glance. He’s just looking right at her, Ladybug, no, not the same. “She’s just so incredible.” He breathes, she can feel it.

“Adrien,” He just stares at her, just the same as Chat would Ladybug. It doesn’t make sense, why would he--”How long have you known?” The words just spill from her lips, she can’t help it.

Adrien just looks at her like she’s the world. No she isn’t, she’s not the world she’s just plain old Marinette--“Weeks.” 

During the exchange she assumes, his hands snaked themselves around her, she doesn’t mind. Does she? They’re so close, she can’t believe both of her hands are touching his shoulders, this is her partner for christ’s sake, that just makes it worse--the bell.

The bell rung. 

\--  
Marinette dares to hang back a few minutes after the bell, when the locker room is cleared out, all the kids are leaving for the day, except him. 

Adrien awkwardly pulls a coat from his locker, Marinette closes her own locker and shuffles up next to him. 

He breaks the silence after a long, draining moment. “Was that too much?” He’s referring to this morning.

She thinks about her buzzing brain, her incapability to think of herself as strong, smart, Ladybug, how much a suit can change but she knows it’s stupid. They’re one in the same. The suit doesn’t change her, physical capabilities aside. She knows this, her first, nervous day with Tikki.

So no, it wasn’t. It’s not too much at all. 

Marinette shakes her head. 

Another long moment. Her heart thuds in her ribcage, brain tearing at her skull, and he does it.  
He asks her, his hand cradling her chin with the utmost respect. “May I?”

She can barely manage the strength to agree, her insides are flipping but his are much alike, awaiting her response. 

“Stupid cat, yes,” he laughs at that, pressing his lips to hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi. im not proof reading these so if there's any mistakes i formally apologize. i abandoned my fics for a while bc something really toxic happened between me and a friend, and i guess what our bond was made out of was really just writing and RP, and it got to the point where i was making them upset if i didn't RP w/ them, so when i finally broke apart w them i didn't feel like writing at all bc. lmao i didn't want to think abt them. but i felt kinda ok today so i tried and posted the chapters. i hope you enjoy them and i'm sorry i didn't get where i wanted w this fic. thank you for the nice comments, sorry for the wait! <3


End file.
